Case Study: Seoul National University achieves generative restoration of Korean cultural heritage with Stratasys PolyJet 3D printing

How Generative Restoration is Reimagining Korean Cultural Heritage

Seoul National University’s Project R team, led by Professor Ahn Sung-mo, faced the challenge of moving beyond slow, purely reparative ceramic restoration toward a “generative restoration” that reimagines incomplete Korean ceramics as living, contemporary artworks. To achieve this, the team partnered with Stratasys and sought a technology that could precisely replicate shapes, colors and material transitions while preserving the originals’ historical and aesthetic value.

Stratasys provided PolyJet 3D printers and a digital workflow (3D scanning, KeyShot rendering, 3MF/GrabCAD Print preparation) to produce printed inserts that seamlessly fit and visually match broken ceramics, including multi-material and transparent effects only possible with PolyJet. The result was a widely noted exhibit at the 2023 Cheongju Craft Biennale, adoption of Stratasys printing for prototyping and curriculum experimentation at the university level, and a demonstrable new pathway for preserving and creatively reinterpreting cultural heritage.

Seoul National University

Ahn Sung-Mo

Professor